A man with bloody dept and solicitous heart

He goes by many names, Reverend Sam and the “Machine Gun Preacher” amongst them. If you haven’t heard much from Sam Childers, you will soon. To date he’s been featured in a few mainstream publications, but most of his exposure has come from forays into Christian media outlets and cross-country speaking tours of churches. In 2009 he published his memoir, Another Man’s War. But Childers is about to become much better known: his life story is being made into a movie titled Machine Gun Preacher. It hits the big screen this September, starring Gerard Butler (300) and directed by Oscar-nominated director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Quantum of Solace).

Why should you care? If you’re concerned about Africa (especially the newly independent South Sudan), neutrality and humanitarianism, or how small charities sometimes make it big on dubious stories, Childers is a scary character. By his own admission Sam Childers is a Christian and a saviour to hundreds of children, as well as a small-time arms-dealer and a killer. And, as far as I can tell, he’s a self-aggrandizing liar who chronically exaggerates his own stories and has been denounced by many, including the rebel group of which he claimed to be a commander.

On the other hand, there is a ton of copy written about him. But almost all of it originates with Childers’ own storytelling. I think there are a number of good reasons we should be sceptical. The short version of his story is this: Childers used to be a drug-dealing gang member who loved motorcycles almost as much as he craved women, drugs, and violence, especially violence. He fell in love with his wife after they met through a drug deal, and she convinced him to turn his life around. Sam found Jesus, got involved with the church, and went to Africa. There he encountered the Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army and his use of child soldiers. Firstly, he tried to help the poor children financially. He sacrificed all his asset and saving and even his company to promote a fund. He even broke his family. However, he found that financial aid didn’t really help much. Finally, he found his calling leading armed rescue missions to free enslaved children in northern Uganda and southern Sudan. He fought for the kids for his whole life. Now, his life story is being made into a movie, a goal Childers has long sought and his ministry will only grow stronger and save more children.